[intransitive]impinge (on/upon something/somebody)(formal)to have a noticeable effect on something/somebody, especially a bad onesynonymencroachHe never allowed his work to impinge on his private life.The preparations for war were beginning to impinge.Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latinimpingere

‘drive something in or at’

, from in-

‘into’

+ pangere

‘fix, drive’

. The word originally meant ‘thrust at forcibly’, then ‘come into forcible contact’; hence ‘encroach’ (mid 18th cent.).Extra examplesactions which seriously impinge on other people’s personal freedomsmeasures which directly or indirectly impinge upon women’s livesEnvironmental stimuli are constantly impinging upon our sensory systems.It is difficult to separate the factors that impinge upon market efficiency.Libel laws do in other respects impinge upon the freedom of the press.